Cutting Off the Moldy Part? Not So Fast

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Imagine this: It’s 9pm, you’re home from a long day at the office, and all that’s left in your fridge is the leftovers of a sandwich. You’re already in your sweats, so there’s literally nothing that will get you out of the house to pick up fresh groceries now. But uh oh, plot twist! There’s a little mold on the bread. You can just cut off the small moldy part and commence chowing down on the rest, right?

Wrong! Back away from the sandwich. It turns out that just cutting off the moldy bits doesn’t make a food safe to eat once it’s gone bad.

The moldy patches that you’re seeing are the mold spores, but a mold colony is also made up of strands called hyphae that are invisible to the naked eye. So when it comes to soft, porous foods like bread, fruit, and soft cheeses, there are tendrils of mold spreading throughout—way past a spot of visible mold. You want to avoid ingesting those—some molds, primarily those found in grains and nuts, contain mycotoxins, which are poisonous substances that can cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and even cancer.

Harder foods are safer to eat once you get rid of the moldy part—think hard cheeses and salami.